The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has announced the start of commercial operations of Unit 2 at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.
Unit 2 adds 1400MW to the national grid, bringing the total produced by Units 1 and 2 to 2800MW.
His Excellency Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ENEC, said: “The start of commercial operations at Unit 2 doubles the Barakah Plant’s generation of emissions-free electricity, enabling rapid decarbonisation of the UAE’s power sector in pursuit of Net Zero 2050.
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“With Unit 2 reaching commercial operations less than 12 months after Unit 1, we have demonstrated the UAE’s megaproject capabilities, building institutional knowledge to enhance delivery to the highest standards and offer a successful case study for other nations looking to diversify their energy portfolio using a proven and sustainable technology.”
The Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant is located in the Al Dhafra region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and is one of the largest nuclear energy plants in the world, with four APR-1400 units.
According to ENEC, when all four units are operating, the Barakah Plant will produce up to 25% of the UAE’s electricity needs and will prevent about 22.4 million tons of carbon emissions annually.
By 2025, the Plant will generate more than 85% of Abu Dhabi Emirate’s clean power making it the biggest contributor to reducing Abu Dhabi’s carbon emissions by 50% by the middle of the decade.
Nasser Al Nasseri, the Chief Executive Officer of Barakah One Company, ENEC’s subsidiary in charge of representing the financial and commercial interests of the Barakah Plant project, said: ”Today is an integral day for the delivery of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant project with the commercial operations of Unit 2, we are now selling double the volume of electricity to the Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) per the Power Purchase Agreement signed in 2016.
“We are committed to efficient and reliable power generation to ensure homes, business and industry across the UAE have continuous access to clean baseload electricity and will do so for the coming 60 years ahead. The sale of electricity further supports Abu Dhabi’s Clean Energy Certification program, allowing more businesses to demonstrate the sustainability credentials and stimulating the growth of our Net Zero economy.”
Unit 1 achieved commercial operation in April 2021 and units 3 and 4 are in the final stages of commissioning. The development of the Barakah Plant as a whole is now more than 96% complete.
